The Buddha Creates a Jewel Walk
I have never seen a painting or a line drawing done of Buddha creating the famous Jewel Walk with which he begins to tell the story of the previous Buddha’s who gave a prediction of buddhahood to him. if you’ve ever seen a picture of this phenomena? I find it difficult to really picture. thank you
[The Buddha creates and passes up and down a jewel Walk in the heavens to prepare to relate the tales of the 24 Buddhas preceeding him and his own descent into the womb.]
[33] When the teacher had performed the Marvel of the Double In the sky And had surveyed the mental character of the populace, being anxious to teach them a suitable teaching of Dhamma as he walked up and down, he created the Jewel Walk consisting of all the jewels and extending over the 10,000 World-Systems.
Verse 5: Come, I will display the unsurpassed power of a Buddha. In the Zenith I will create a walk adorned with jewels!
Verse 11 :The leader of the world created a well-wrought walk with all the jewels.
Verse 12: In the 10 000 World System he displayed like a course of pillars on (each) supreme mountain Sineru, Walks made of jewels.
13 The Conqueror created a Walk spanning the 10,000. All golden were the sides of that Walk which was made of jewels.
Verse 14: The junction of (each pair of) beams were symmetrical The floorboards covered with gold all golden were the railings Well-fashioned on both sides (of the Walk).
Verse 15 : Strewn over with sand (consisting) of jewels and pearls, fashioned and made of jewels it [the Walk] illuminated all the quarters like him of the hundred rays when he has written risen.
Verse 16: Walking up and down in that, him of the 32 glorious marks, Self-Awakened one, Conqueror, shining, walked up and down in the Walk.
Verse 17: All the divas gathered together showered down on the walk diva-like mandarava flowers, lotuses, flowers of the coral tree.
Verse 20 : Heavenly musicians, demons together with the divas, nagas, fairy birds, and birdmen besides saw that one who was compassionate for the world’s welfare like the orb of the Moon high aloft in the zenith.
Verse 31: They sent fourth chants in the air snd down the airy paths they’ve played on drums on seeing the wonder in the Zenith.
Verse 43: Even as he was standing on the Vulture Peak, Sāriputta of great wisdom, proficient in concentration and meditation, saw the leader of the world.
Verse 44 He surveyed the bull of a man who was like a king of the Sala trees in full bloom, like the moon in the heavens, like the sun at midday.
Verse 45: He saw the wise one, the leader who was blazing like a tree of lamps, like the newly risen sun, illuminated by a halo extending for a fathom.
Verse 48: Come, all of us will go, we will question the Conqueror, when we have seen the leader of the world we will dispel doubt.
[Ed. Relate the story Of the 24 Previous Buddhas.]
Verse 64: These are the four incalculables of which the extent is not known: The aggregation of beings, and space, and the infinite world-spheres, and the immeasurable knowledge of a Buddha. It is impossible to ascertain these.
[ Here the Buddha begins the recitation of his own Descent from Tusita and into the womb of his mother and the Tales of the 24 Buddhas.]
From
The Buddhavamsa, The Minor Anthologies - Volume Three, Sacred Books of the Buddhists Volume 31, Horner I.B. [translator], Pali Text Society, Bristol, 2013
PS: Metteyya has a cameo at the end!